E-mail:

Wow. Having learned my politics from National Review, it was amazing to hear you, somewhat, advocate “competent” government. I learned to have low expectations from government from NR, with a hope that a strong defense might be the one thing to expect or hope for. Reagan taught us to expect less from government, and it’s a lesson to remember. Cynicism [about] government is good.

ME: I’ve got a number of e-mails like this one about today’s column. I’m sympathetic to the general point, but I think we’d all agree that there are a few things government should do and do well, among them enforcing the law, protecting the border, and fighting wars.